The effect of thermal treatment on the properties of expanded polystyrene

Ellouze, Ameni; Jesson, DA; Cheikh, Ridha Ben

doi:10.1002/pen.25502

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It has been shown that the water bath heat treatment of cured microspheres can effectively eliminate residual internal stresses and reduce the cracking rate of microspheres. [ 31,33 ] The TGA results of the polymer showed that some FB remained in the PS microspheres, thus the PS glass transition temperature was reduced. The glass transition temperature of the PS microspheres is 103°C.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of polymer molecular structure on the quality of thin‐walled hollow microspheres for inertial confinement fusion

Zhu

et al. 2023

Polymer Engineering & Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Polymer microspheres can be used as fuel containers for laser inertial confinement fusion (ICF) due to their low atomic number, low density, and high thermal stability. The thin-walled polymer microspheres are prone to cracking due to an increase in the diameter to thickness ratio (diameter/wall thickness).The effect of polystyrene (PS) and Poly (α-methyl styrene) (PAMS) materials commonly used in ICF experiments on the quality of thin-walled microspheres is investigated. PS hollow microspheres show better sphericity, smoother surface, and lower cracking rate than PAMS microspheres. Moreover, the heat treatment of solidified PS microspheres can improve the strength so that the cracking rate of the microspheres decreases. The relative mechanism of how the molecular structure affect the quality is also discussed. This study provides some guidance for the preparation of thin-walled polymer microspheres with high quality for ICF experiments.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of polymer molecular structure on the quality of thin‐walled hollow microspheres for inertial confinement fusion

Zhu

et al. 2023

Polymer Engineering & Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…industry (Khoubi‐Arani, 2024; Pech‐Mendoza et al, 2024; Solomon & Hemalatha, 2020). However, its wide application is still restricted due to its extremely poor mechanical properties, flammable nature, low UV resistance, and glass transition temperature (Ellouze et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a novel composite of expanded polystyrene with rGO and SEBS‐g‐MA

Fatima,

Qamar,

Zahra

et al. 2024

Microscopy Res & Technique

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study displays the effect of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanofiller and polystyrene‐b‐poly(ethylene‐ran‐butylene)‐b‐polystyrene‐grafted maleic anhydride (SEBS‐g‐MA) on the optical, thermal, and mechanical features of expanded polystyrene (EPS). First, the thin films of pristine EPS and composites were prepared using solution cast method. The prepared films were subjected to fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR), SEM, UV–visible spectrophotometer, thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry, and universal testing machine for structural, morphological, optical, thermal, and mechanical characterizations. Optical study revealed a significant increase in refractive index and absorption of composites than EPS. Indirect band‐gap energy of EPS (~4.08 eV) was reduced to ~1.61 eV for rGO composite and ~ 2.23 eV for composite composed of rGO and SEBS‐g‐MA. Thermal analyses presented improvement in characterization temperatures such as T10, T50, Tp, Tm, and Tg of composites, which ultimately lead to the thermal stability of prepared composites than pristine EPS. Stress–strain curves displayed higher yield strength (46.62 MPa), Young's modulus (96.29 MPa), and strain at break (0.54%) for EPS+rGO composite than pure EPS having stress at break (1.01 MPa), Young's modulus (12.44 MPa), and strain at break (0.08%). Moreover, ductility with relatively higher strain at break (0.61%) and lower Young's modulus (79.32 MPa) and yield strength (32.98 MPa) was noticed in EPS+rGO+SEBS‐g‐MA composite than EPS+rGO composite film. Morphological analysis revealed a change in globular morphology of EPS and inhomogeneous dispersion of rGO in EPS to homogeneously dispersed rGO in EPS matrix without globules owing to the addition of SEBS‐g‐MA. The increase in compatibility of EPS and rGO due to SEBS‐g‐MA was also observed in FTIR spectra.Research Highlights Here, the solution casting approach was used to create the composite film of EPS and rGO with globules of various sizes. After adding SEBS‐g‐MA, the shape altered to globular free films exhibiting homogenous dispersion of rGO in EPS matrix. An optical investigation showed that composite materials had a significantly higher refractive index and absorption than EPS. The optical, thermal, and mechanical investigations suggest that the produced composites may be a great substitute for virgin EPS, allowing for a wider range of applications.

show abstract

“…Zouzias [23] performed lengthy experiments to characterize the tensile behavior of EPS foams of densities ranging from 60-120 kg/m 3 and verified that the tensile strength also rises with the increase of strain rates and density. Apart from fundamental mechanical properties investigation, Ellouze [24] carried out a heat treatment process on EPS foams and enhanced the hardness. Nevertheless, the mechanical properties test for the treated and non-treated EPS foam followed different standards, which could impair the comparability of experimental results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Compressive and Flexural Properties and Stacking Strength of Expanded Polystyrene Boxes: Experimental and Simulation Study

Jónsdóttir

Arason

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) boxes are used for the packaging of perishable and vulnerable goods during transportation; for instance, fresh fish fillets. It is important to minimize the weight and cost of the packaging materials while maximizing strength to avoid damage to the packaging and the product itself. EPS boxes have to withstand considerable loading, which arises due to rough handling and stacking during transport. This work focused on the compressive and flexural properties and stacking strength of 3 kg capacity EPS boxes with densities of 22 and 23 kg/m3, by combining experiments and simulation. Material properties were obtained from the compression test, and the behavior of EPS boxes under stacking load was investigated through both experiments and finite element simulations. The influences of density and different sample preparation methods on material properties and stacking strength were investigated. The results indicated that, with the density increasing by 1 kg/m3, the initial modulus rises 10–15% and the compressive strength increases by 7–8% in the compression test, while in the flexure test, the rupture stress increases by 3–7%. Additionally, an increase of around 2% was observed for the specimens cut with a hot wire compared to those cut with a table saw. However, because the failure mechanism for a box as a whole differs from that of small units in the compression and flexure tests, density has less of an impact on stacking strength. Finally, a good agreement was obtained between the simulation and stacking strength test results.

show abstract

The effect of thermal treatment on the properties of expanded polystyrene

Cited by 10 publications

References 22 publications

Effect of polymer molecular structure on the quality of thin‐walled hollow microspheres for inertial confinement fusion

Effect of polymer molecular structure on the quality of thin‐walled hollow microspheres for inertial confinement fusion

Evaluation of a novel composite of expanded polystyrene with rGO and SEBS‐g‐MA

Assessment of Compressive and Flexural Properties and Stacking Strength of Expanded Polystyrene Boxes: Experimental and Simulation Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About